Numbers tell the story of the Wound Healing Center at Union Hospital

  • May 28, 2010
  • 626
                        
Saving limbs. Saving lives. These dramatic outcomes are a big part of the five-year success story being told by the Wound Healing Center at Union Hospital. “Since it opened five years ago, the Wound Healing Center has served 1,700 patients from Tuscarawas and the surrounding counties,” according to Carey Gardner, director of development and community relations. “Included in this number of patients are hundreds that would not have had access to this state-of-the-art care because of the travel distance required to reach the next closest wound care specialists,” Gardner said. Because the wound healing process typically requires multiple visits to the center over a number of weeks, Gardner said the presence of the center at Union Hospital in Dover has saved patients more than one million miles of highway travel. Joseph Zemis, M.D., a Dover surgeon, is the medical director of the Wound Healing Center. He said the staff has achieved great success, and a healing rate of 90 percent of all patient wounds. “With our staff of physicians and nurses specializing in wound care, we have an exceptional record, healing 93 percent of our patient’s wounds in less than 16 weeks,” Zemis said. “Our average healing time is 43 days.” Zemis said the center is treating patients with diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, compromised skin grafts, and other types of chronic wounds. “The healing methods we’re using have helped patients with chronic wounds that have resisted healing for months and even years.” The center offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBO for short. Zemis said the HBO chamber surrounds the patient with oxygen which promotes faster healing of wounds. HBO is also beneficial for those affected by the after-effects of radiation treatments. “It’s very gratifying to heal a wound for a patient who has suffered with it for a long time, perhaps years,” Zemis added, “especially when the possible alternative was amputation.” Gardner said the Wound Healing Center is located on the ground floor of Union Hospital. Patients are referred by their physician or may call the center directly for a consultation. The phone number is 330-365-3880. Learn more online at http://www.unionhospi tal.org and visit the Wound Healing Center department pages.


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